Permutation lock



Aug. 10, 1926. 1,595,979

, J. E. BARKER PERMUTATION' LOCK Filed pril 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. E. Ear/5:7.

I ATTORNEYS.

Au Qm 1929. BA-KER 1,995,979

PERMUTATION LOCK I Filed pr 1 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jbsepb E.Bar/ ez;

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

a ran p n 6; ti tit-l i at) b t. it.

JOSEPH E. BARKER, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

PER/MUTATION LOCK.

Application filed April 13, 1925.

a permutation lock of the type above re- :terred to that shall be sodesigned and constructed that it can readily be opened in the darkwhereby it will be suitable for use in places where a permutation lockof ordinary construction cannot be employed. A still further object ofthis invention is to produce a lock of the type referred to that shallbe so constructed that it will be suit able for use for practicallyevery purpose for which a lock of this general type may be desirable.

My invention can be most clearly clescribed and will be most readilyunderstood when reference is had to the accompanying drawings in whichthe preferred embodiments thereof have been shown and in which:

Fig. 1 is a Section taken on line 1-1 Fig. 2 and shows the relativerelation of the parts;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the lock, looking in the direction ofarrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 Fig. 1;

Fig. i is'a view, partly in elevation, and partly in section showing aslightly moditied construction;

5 is a plan view of a modified form ot cam member;

Fig. 6 is a view looking in the direction oi arrow 6 in Fig. 7 and showsmy lock incorporated in a sedan door lock handle;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 7, of theparts shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 8 and shows a topplan view of the parts shown, in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 99, Fig. 11 and shows a plan view ofsome of the working parts of a modified form of a is a section taken online 33,

in which the plungers are set Serial No. 22,593.

lock constructed in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 10 is a section also taken on line 99 Fig. 11 and shows the partsin a different relative position;

Fig. 11 is a section taken on line 1l.11 Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a View, with parts shown in section, showing a padlockconstructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 13 a plan view of the end closure cap of the padlock and Fig. 1 isa side elevation or the member shown in plan in Fig. 13.

In the drawing numeral l'designates a cylindrical casing having athreaded portion 2 of reduced diameter. This casing has a cylindricalopening 3 which extends part way through the same and with which is axally aligned a cylindrical opening t of somewhat smaller diameter.lVithin the opening 3 is the cylindrical barrel 5 which is of the properdiameter to fit this opening and which is provided with a cylindricalextension (3 which terminates flush with in nor end 7 of the casing. Anarm 8 is secured to the inner end of the extension 6 by means of screws7. This arm may be employed in the usual manner for moving a bolt. Forthe purpose of locking the barrel 5 against rotation in the casing,three or more radial holes 9 are drilled in such a position that theiraxes intersect both the axis of the casing and of the barrel 5. Theseholes extend for some distance into the barrel and may for the sake ofsimplicity be supposed to extend to the center thereof. Transverse slots10 are milled in the barrel. These slots are of a thickness less thanthe diameter of the holes 9 so that the steel balls 11, that lie in theopenings 9 cannot fall out. Plunger pins 12 are located in that part ofthe openings 11 that lies in the ma terial of the casing 1. Theseplungers are urged inwardly by means of springs 13, which are undercompression and which urge the plungers 12 inwardly. is apparent thatwhen the barrel is so related to the casing that the holes 9 are inalignment the plungers 12 will project into the barrel unless some meansis provided to prevent this from taking place. The barrel 5 has adepression 1.4; which is engaged by the ball 15 when the holes 9 are inalignment. A plate 16 is slidably held in a clove tail slot and servesto hold the springs and plungers in place. VJithin that portion of theopenings 9 that is in the material of the barrel 5 are plungers 17 thatare each of different length, or at least one is of different lengththan the others. lVhen the plungers 12 and 17 are in such a positionthat the junction line between each pair of plungers coincides with thejunction between the barrel and the casing. the barrel can be rotatedwith respect to the casing, but in all other positions of the plungers,the barrel is locked. In the ordinary pin lock, the plungers are broughtto unlocking position by means of a notched key of well knownconstruction. In my device the position of the plungers are controlledby means of spiral cams which are independently controllable and theoperation of which I will now describe.

I have provided three concentric shafts which I have designated bynumerals 18, 19 and 20. Shaft 18 is solid and extends entirely throughthe lock. At its outer end it has a knob 21 and the other end has atransverse perforation for the reception of a pin 22. Shaft 18 has aflattened portion 23 that extends to the point marked 24-. A spiral cam25 is located in the innermost slot 19 and has an opening having a flatside that engages the flat side 23, so as to prevent it from rotating onthe shaft. Outside of shaft 18 is the tubular shaft 19 to which anotherspiral cam is fastened. This cam is identical with cam 25 except withrespect to the central opening which is larger. Outside of shaft 19 isthe outer tubular shaft that carries the cam The outer ends of shafts 19and 20 have knobs 26 and 27, each of which has an annular groove 28 forthe reception of the annular flange 29 on the adjacent knob. The shapeof the cams is best shown in Fig. 3 where it may be noted that itsperiphery is divided into a number of curved notches 30, the bottoms ofeach of which is spaced a different distance from the center. At thepoint where the spiral begins there will be a wall 31 that serves as astop and prevents rotation in one direction. This determines the zeroposition. As the balls 11 are pressed against the outer periphery of thecams by the springs 13, the movement from one notch to the other can befelt by the operator as he rot-ates the knobs and the number of notchesfrom zero position can be counted. The combination may be so set thatthe plungers are moved to unlocking position when the cams are set insome predetermined position. As an example we may consider that thecombina-,

tion requires the cam attached to shaft 18 to be moved 6 notches; thatattached to shaft 19, 8 notches and that attached to shaft 20, 2notches. All of the cams'are first moved to zero position, knob 21 isthen rotated through 6 notches. Knob 26 is then rotated through 8notches and finally knob 27 is rotated through 2 notches. The operatornow grasps all three knobs and rotates the barrel 5. The friction of allof the cams and shafts being sufficient to rotate the barrel. If itshould be found necessary, the outer end of the barrel may be providedwith a knob like that indicated by numeral 32 in Fig. a, which may begrasped and used for rotating the barrel after the plungers have beenmoved to unlocking position. If desired the notched spiral cams may bereplaced by plain spiral cams like that illustrated in Fig. 5, but inthis case the knobs must be set with respect to some external dial,which makes it necessary to illuminate the lock in order to work thecombination. The combination may be changed by interchanging theplungers 17 or substituting different lengths of plungers or bysubstituting differently constructed cams.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8 I have shown how my lock may be incorporated in thedoor handle of an automobile door look. In this case the barrel may havean outwardly extending integral cylindrical projection 33 through whichthe shafts 18, 19 and 20 extend. This projecting portion may have anenlargement 34 to which the handle is secured. The knobs 21, 26 and 27may be enclosed by a semi-spherical cover 36 that may be held shut bymeans of a spring lock 37.

In F 12 I have shown a padlock in which the barrel 38 which is almostidentical with the corresponding member 5 in Fig. 1 is secured in acylindrical opening that extends entirely through the casing 39. Casing39 has a cylindrical opening 40 whose inner surface is tangent to theinner surface of the first named opening. A bail 1-1 has one endprovided with a cylindrical member 4.2 that is of the proper size to fitthe opening 40. A cover 43 having one portion thereof provided with anopening 4A, through which the bail 11 extends, serves as a closure forthe two openings in the casing and serves also to prevent thecylindrical portion 42 from being withdrawn. The barrel 38 isconstructed in the same manner as barrel 5 in Fig. 1 with the exceptionthat instead of having a cylindrical projection 0. it has a cylindricalrecess 15 into which the cylindrical portion 46 of the cover 4-3 fits. Apin 17 serves to hold the barrel 38 and the cover 4:3 in place. Theother end of the bail 41 projects into the opening 1-8, when the partsare in locked position and makes it impossible to remove the pin 47except when the parts are in unlocked position. The plungers 12 andsprings 13 are carried in the cylindrical part 42 and are controlled bycams like those described in connection with Figs. 1 and 3. The partsare so designed that when the free end of the bail 4:1 is inserted intothe opening 418 and pressed down the plunger openings in member 412 willbe brought into alignment with the corresponding openings in the barrel38. By rotating the knobs 21, 26 and 27 the plungers 12 and 17 arebrought into unlocking position which permits the bail to be pulled outand rotated. The arrangement of parts shown in. Fig. 19. may be employedin a large number of special lock constructions such as steering wheellocks.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 l. have showna modification in which my inventionhas been incorporated in a distinctly different type of lock, which,however, operates substantially in the same manner as the ones describedabove. The lock shown in Figs. 9, 10and 11 is intended more particularlyfor lockers but may be employed for many other purposes as well. Thelocking elements are enclosed within a substantially rectangular boxpressed from suitable sheet metal. This box has abottom 419, front sideand a top member 51 A bolt 51 is mounted within the box. in such amanner that it can reciprocate between the positions shown in Figs. 9and 10. This bolt has two flat portions 52 and 53 whose outer edges comeinto close proximity to the inside of the box so as to be guided therebyin the manner quite apparent from Figs. 9 and 10. A tubular member 54 issecured to the cover 51 in the manner shown in Fig. 11. The shafts 18,19 and 20 are journalled in member 54, in the manner indicated. Theshaft 18 extends through the bottom of the box in the manner shown inFig. 11 and is held against withdrawal by means of a pin 22. Any otherequivalent construction may be employed, if desired. A disk 55 isrotatably mounted on the shaft 18. This disk has a notch 56 whichreceives the pin 57 that is fastened to the member and whereby the disk55, when rotated, will reciprocate the bolt 51. Disk has an arcuate edgewhich I have designated by numeral 58 which moves past the stationaryvertical pin 59. A. pin (it) is fastened at one end to the disk andcarries three or more plates 61 which are duplicates except for the factthat each plate has a slot 62 that is adapted to receive the pin 59, inthe manner shown in Fig. These slots occupy different relative positionson the different plates 61 which makes it necessary that they shall berotated to dirtli OlOllb extents about the pin in order to bring theminto alignment so that the pin 59 may enter and permit the disk 55 to berotated to the position shown in Fig. 9. Each plate 61 has a projection63 that cowill receive the pin 59 and pirmit the disk' 55 to be rotatedso as to reciprocate the bolt 51. The plates 61 take the place of andperform the function of the plungers 12 and 17 in the other devices.

It will be apparent from the above description that the operation of thelock shown in Fig. 1 and that shown in Figs. 9 to 11. is broadly thesame, for in each case the locking mechanism is controlled by spiral cammembers independently rotatable by means 01 concentric shafts.

Having now described my invention and explained the manner in which itoperates, whatI now claim is:

1. In a permutation lock of the class described, the combination with acylinder lock having a rotatable barrel and a series of plungers of aplurality of concentric shafts rotatably mounted in said barrel a spiralshaped cam secured to each o1 said shafts, said cams being operativelyrelated to said plungers and adapted to move the latter, and knobs onthe outer ends of each of said shafts.

2. In a permutation lock, in combination, a rotatable member, means forlocking said member against rotation, said means comprising a pluralityof independently movable locking members, a spiral cam operativelyassociated with each of said locking members and means comprisingconcentric shafts for rotating either one of said cams independently ofthe others for the purpose of bringing the locking members to apredetermined position.

3. In a. permutation lock, in combination, a rotatable member adapted byits movement to control a locking bolt, means for preventing therotation of said rotatable member, said means COll'lPllSlIlQ a pluralityof independently movable locking members and means for moving saidlocking members to inoperative position, said means comprising aseparate spiral cam for each locking member.

41-. In a permutation lock, in combination, a rotatable member adaptedby its movement to control a locking bolt, means for I preventing therotation of said rotatable member, said means comprising a plurality ofindependently movable locking members, means comprising a plurality ofindependent spiral cams for moving the locking members to inoperativeposition, means comprising a plurality of concentric shafts forindependently controlling the cams, and means for determining the extentto which each cam is rotated.

5. In a permutation lock, in combination, a rotatable member adapted byits movement to control a locking bolt, means for preventing therotation of said rotatable member, said means comprising a plurality ofindependently movable locking members, means comprising a plurality ofindependent spiral cams for moving the locking members to inoperativeposition, means comprising a plurality of concentric shafts forindependently controlling the cams, and means for determining the extentto which each cam is rotated, said last named means comprising notchesin the peripheries of said cams.

6. In a permutation look a casing having a cylindrical opening, acylindrical member movably mounted in said opening, means for lockingsaid member against movement, said means comprising a plurality ofindependently movable plungers, means compris- 111g spiral cams formoving said locking plungers to inoperative position, and means forcontrolling the position of said cams.

7. In a permutation look a casing having a cylindrical opening, acylindrical member movably mounted in said opening means for lockingsaid member against movement, said means comprising a plurality ofindependently movable locking plungers and means comprising spiral camsfor moving said locking plungers to inoperative position, said camshaving their peripheries provided with notches Whose bottoms are atdifferent distances from the center.

8. In a permutation lock, in combination, a plurality of lockingmembers, a cam member operatively associated with each locking member,said cams having their peripheral edges provided With spaced notchesWhose bottoms are spaced unequal distances from the center and means forindependently rotating the cams.

9. In a permutation lock of the class described, in combination, acasing having a cylindrical opening, mounted in said opening,registering openings in said casing and tumbler, plunger in saidopenings, spiral cams operatively associated with said plungers andmeans for rotating each cam through a predetermined angle independentlyof the other cams, said means comprising concentric shafts, one of whichis operatively associated with each cam.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH E. BARKER.

a barrel rotatably

